Linen wreath of Cleopatra

From Qurna, Thebes,
EgyptRoman period, early 2nd century
AD

This wreath belonged to a young woman called
Cleopatra who was just over 17 at her death, some 150 years after
her famous namesake, Cleopatra VII. She was one of three
generations of the family of Soter buried at Thebes, all of whom
lived between AD 109 and 146. During a burial in ancient Egypt
wreaths and bouquets were often placed on the top of the outer
coffin. These may have been carried by members of the family of the
deceased during the funeral procession, and put on the coffin
before the tomb was closed. They have been found in both private
and royal tombs.

In Egypt
plants of all kinds were associated with life and fertility.
Flowers such as the lotus, which opened each morning, were
particularly linked with rebirth. The Egyptian word for bouquet was
the same as the verb meaning 'to give life'. This
play on words was probably quite deliberate, highlighting the
symbolic link between the two ideas. This is just one of many
examples of word play in the Egyptian language, illustrating the
Egyptians' fondness of linguistic
games.

This wreath is
unusual in being made entirely of cloth. The inner part of the
wreath consists of a bundle of torn linen rags, bound into a
roughly circular shape using a longer piece of cloth, now partly
unravelled. It is not certain why cloth was used instead of
flowers; perhaps because it is more durable